BOOK TITLE: The
Publicist
ISBN: 1478247525
AUTHOR: Christina
George
GENRE: Fiction
NUMBER OF PAGES: 226
FORMAT:
Paperback
SERIES /
STANDALONE: The Publicist #1
REVIEW BY: Shree
Janani
HOW I GOT THIS
BOOK: Review Copy as a part of iRead Book
tours.
SUMMARY:
Behind every book, there’s always more
to the story.
Can one woman change an age-old institution like publishing? Probably not, but Kate Mitchell sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system, books that don’t always sell (at all) and author egos that are often, well, as big as the island of Manhattan. Enter the star Editor, MacDermott Ellis. Tall, handsome, charismatic, married, and ready to save the day. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be driving her decisions. Then there’s Allan Lavigne, once a revered author, now as forgotten as yesterday’s news; and his nephew Nick, who wants to sweep Kate away from New York for another coast, California.
As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, the over-the-top author
expectations, and the careful dance of “I’m sorry, your book isn’t on the
bestseller list this week”, she also finds authors who are painfully overlooked
by a publisher wanting more sex, more celebrities, and more scandal..Can one woman change an age-old institution like publishing? Probably not, but Kate Mitchell sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system, books that don’t always sell (at all) and author egos that are often, well, as big as the island of Manhattan. Enter the star Editor, MacDermott Ellis. Tall, handsome, charismatic, married, and ready to save the day. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be driving her decisions. Then there’s Allan Lavigne, once a revered author, now as forgotten as yesterday’s news; and his nephew Nick, who wants to sweep Kate away from New York for another coast, California.
REVIEW:
Being a weeny-tiny part of the publishing industry
already, this book piqued my interest when it came up for review. The first
line of the summary was just enough for me to go ahead and sign up for the
review.
Thankfully,
the writer didn’t exactly make me repent for my haste in signing up. “The
Publicist” to me, was a mixed bag.
The
plot was sure fast paced and kept me hooked. It did offer me an insight of how
the International publishing industry works. But at times, certain incidents
from the plot about writers going a bit crazy seem to be too superficial and
unrealistic – dramatic would be the right word to describe it. Thankfully, each
of those “dramatic author” episodes really didn’t last long. Short chapters and
a racy plot did the trick.
Kate,
our protagonist is a publicist who is the knight in shining armour for poor
lost writers who have jitters publicizing their books. She is characterised as
this strong female who can handle any insane situation with ease and clam by
thinking quickly on her feet. Enter, Mac, the “oh-so-hot” editor. Also enter
the forgotten writer Allan Lavigne of whom Kate is fond of. There is obviously
a romantic thread. As to who falls for whom, please read the book.
As
the plot progresses, Kate’s characterisation becomes a bit of paradox. She is
firm thinker, yet falls for what her heart tells. Mac’s characterisation is
rather bland in this book, But if one reads all the 3 books in the series, the
characterisation would make sense. The whole balancing of professional struggle
and a personal turmoil has been beautifully brought out by the writer. It is
indeed a situation that many women normally face if they are in relationship with
a co-worker.
The
writing was simple and clean. The romance element was neatly woven into the
story and was gradually developed. Of course, romance wouldn’t be technically
correct term. It was more of lust in this book. Serious romance actually
happens only in the subsequent books.
To
sum up, in spite of minor lags and wee bit of un realistic situations
described, the book kept me hooked was a
good enough read.
VERDICT: If you are
remotely associated with the publishing industry or are intrigued by the “affair
of publishing”, this would be a good enough book to read.
RATING: 3.5 on 5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christina George has
worked in publishing for twenty years (give or take). Here’s what this book
isn't. It’s not a slam against publishing (though it is broken) and it’s not a
slam against authors (though some of them are crazy). This book is not
autobiographical though many of the stories are true. No you won’t know which
ones, cause it’s more fun to guess, right? George continues to work in
publicity and helps authors because at the end of the day she does love books,
she loves publishing, and she loves authors. She hopes you’ll enjoy this romp
through Kate’s world as much as she enjoyed creating it.
BOOK LINKS: http://www.amazon.com/Christina-George/e/B00AB0CHJQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
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